App Content Will Soon Be Available in Safari Search Results as Google Expands App Indexing to iOS 9

[Sill]

Bangs, privacy, and they accept pull requests.

1 - Example, type "!py split" and it'll jump straight to the Python documentation for splitting. "!a MacBook Pro" and it'll jump straight to the MacBook Pro on Amazon. "!w iPhone" and it'll jump straight to the page on the iPhone on Wikipedia. There are thousands of bangs. Do !bangs if you want to see the full list.

2 - They don't track who you are. They don't filter your results based on who you are (************************** is actually BS - because Google shows different people different things, you don't know whether someone else could have actually reached a page via Google.) Even if you're fine with Google having 600 pages worth of information on you, keep in mind that nothing is unhackable. Sooner or later, Google is going to be hacked, or there will be a malicious employee, and those novels of data that they have on you is going to hit the black market. Your SSN, address, high school, birthday, birth town, parents, employer, car, license plate, salary, etc. There's more than enough for someone to call your bank, prove that they're you, and drain your accounts. Duck Duck Go doesn't store your info. Ads are based on your current search topic and nothing more. They don't serve ads to other people, so they won't track you from page to page the way Google will. They won't read your email the way Google will.

3 - Duck Duck Go allows anyone to contribute. I personally added !python27. Other things people have added are "Regex cheat sheet" and "timer".

I really appreciate what you posted in #1 and #3. Up until now I just thought DDG was a simple, privacy-centric search site. I had no idea it offered so much extra functionality.

Now regarding #2... you seem to have a better grasp of what Google has than most people I run into. I'm wondering how much they could have on me, considering I don't use ANY of their 'services'. I used to use their search but that was long ago and many IPs ago. Outside of email and pseudonymous forums my online activity is next to nothing. No loyalty programs, no social nets, no purchasing/discount apps, nothing. My big concern right now is the shadow profile they build based on what contact lists my email address shows up in. I'm already ticked off at every friend and enemy that has offered their contact list up for free to companies like LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, and Twitter. I don't use any of those but based just on the emails I get from LinkedIn ("You just received a request from <name of dipstick> to join them on LinkedIn! Other requests have come from the following people...") I'm thinking all these services have a pretty good idea of my world. Also, my phone number. No one has my address, fortunately. Do you have any observations on this, like what else they might have derived from my activity?

 

[Defthand]

[QUOTE="Sill, post: 22065898, member: 933803”] My big concern right now is the shadow profile they build based on what contact lists my email address shows up in. I'm already ticked off at every friend and enemy that has offered their contact list up for free to companies like LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, and Twitter. I don't use any of those but based just on the emails I get from LinkedIn ("You just received a request from <name of dipstick> to join them on LinkedIn! Other requests have come from the following people..."[/QUOTE]

Thank You for explaining one of my biggest pet peeves. You’re right. Too many people are either ignorant that their social links are being exploited or they’re inconsiderate. It explains why we continue to receive spam despite our private nature. In fact, the spam is usually disguised as a message from the friend himself to circumvent the “Ignore messages from anyone not in my Contacts” feature.

If I could, I would share a unique email addy with each friend and monitor which careless fool compromised me. Then, to prove a point, I would give his contact info to some organization he can’t stand. (I jest.)

 

[Googlyhead]

And this is why there really needs to be an option to select which apps you will allow to be opened like this.
Or at the very least the possibility of a "This website is trying to open xxx app. Permit?" warning.
The "switch back to..." Is a start, but doesn't solve the initial problem.
It's already the case that if I click an Amazon search result (for example); the app gets opened, and the webpage only opens this app no matter if you switch back, reload, refresh etc.

 

[Brien]

sounds good. waiting for the day a browser is barely neccessary anymore to use the net

I don't understand why everyone is so willing to kill the web in favor of apps.

 

[Sill]

I don't understand why everyone is so willing to kill the web in favor of apps.

That trope has been going on for as long as the web has existed, just about. I remember when Facebook took off and the FB apps started to appear. Some columnist said that it was going to be the way we used the internet, period. No one would ever fire up a browser again.

Personally, I only want a browser. I really don't care for apps that replace any of the web experience. I use browser-based forums instead of Tapatalk, and I will leave any forum that replaces their forums with Discus or the Google equivalent. I especially despise apps that add "milestones" to try to get people to register them. For example, I installed a Craigslist app so I could search easily across a greater area. It started telling me to register an account so I could take advantage of all the milestones I had achieved with my browsing. "Turn your points into money!!!11" They of course leave out that important first step of converting my personal data into points.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I really appreciate what you posted in #1 and #3. Up until now I just thought DDG was a simple, privacy-centric search site. I had no idea it offered so much extra functionality.

Now regarding #2... you seem to have a better grasp of what Google has than most people I run into. I'm wondering how much they could have on me, considering I don't use ANY of their 'services'. I used to use their search but that was long ago and many IPs ago. Outside of email and pseudonymous forums my online activity is next to nothing. No loyalty programs, no social nets, no purchasing/discount apps, nothing. My big concern right now is the shadow profile they build based on what contact lists my email address shows up in. I'm already ticked off at every friend and enemy that has offered their contact list up for free to companies like LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, and Twitter. I don't use any of those but based just on the emails I get from LinkedIn ("You just received a request from <name of dipstick> to join them on LinkedIn! Other requests have come from the following people...") I'm thinking all these services have a pretty good idea of my world. Also, my phone number. No one has my address, fortunately. Do you have any observations on this, like what else they might have derived from my activity?

Google has agreements in place with a lot of companies that when those companies collect info on people, they sell it to google. A lot of places (insurance especially) will offer free online quotes (which they spend a few dollars on for background checks) but then turn around and sell your data to cover the cost, whether you buy their product or not.

IE, if you're shopping for auto insurance online, when you request a quote they'll sell your car make and model, where you live, your age, whether you went to college, all about your wife and kids, etc, to Google.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

Thanks for letting us know.

Your politeness is commendable.

 

[appledefenceforce]

I will gladly be pleased to give Google less information about myself.

 

[FightTheFuture]

Bangs, privacy, and they accept pull requests.

1 - Example, type "!py split" and it'll jump straight to the Python documentation for splitting. "!a MacBook Pro" and it'll jump straight to the MacBook Pro on Amazon. "!w iPhone" and it'll jump straight to the page on the iPhone on Wikipedia.

Cool, I didn't know DDG has the capability. Have you tried the Quix bookmarklet for desktop? It does something similar to bangs but it'll pull up a text box where you'll type in "a MacBook Pro" to search Amazon or "yt Jony Ive interview" for YouTube.

I cannot vouch for Quix's privacy though.